St Annes Pier & Promenade

Lytham St Annes

At St Annes Pier & Promenade there’s a range of shops, restaurants and amusements so there’s plenty of things to do for all ages. The pier is accompanied by a beautiful beach, perfect for those sunny days, as well as golf, a cinema and much more nearby!

Whether you’re looking to go for a gentle stroll or a place to grab lunch-St Annes pier and promenade is the place.

Since 1885 the pier has been welcoming visitors from all areas to ensure a fun day out.

Further Information

With broad streets, a newly-built Promenade and a luxurious hotel, St Annes was fast becoming an alternative destination for seaside visitors. It was aiming to attract the more refined classes, and offer them a fine promenading experience, and in 1879 the construction of St Anne’s Pier and jetty was agreed.

When opened in 1885 St Annes Pier offered only a scattering of shelters and confectionery stalls with a band kiosk to provide entertainment. The new extended jetty, added in 1891, allowed visitors to benefit from steamer services, with excursions to Blackpool, Liverpool and Southport on offer.

In 1899 a mock Tudor-style building was added at the entrance, providing a toll house and a boardroom, and was the beginning of many new additions. These included a promenade extension, open-air bandstand and the striking Moorish Pavilion. The latter cemented St Annes’ position as a budding seaside resort, with the opportunity seat 1,000 in an elaborate and exotic theatre. The Pavilion would stage many memorable St Annes Amateur Operatic and Dramatic performances over the years.

In 1910 the open-air stage, which had hosted acts by pierrot performers, was converted into a floral hall, which enjoyed performances from the St Annes Pier Orchestra twice daily, a mainly female ensemble with notable conductors such as Kate Ertl (1910-1920) and Lionel Johns (1943-1964). The Floral Hall would also boast performances from Gracie Fields George Formby & Cliff Richard.

As tastes changed over the years the entertainment provided on St Annes Pier adapted, and numerous renovations took place; an amusement arcade was added at the pier head in 1954, the Floral Hall became a beer garden (1967) & the Moorish Pavilion became the Sultans Palace (1970). In 1974, to celebrate the centenary, HRH Princess Anne attended a concert performance, but by the end of the year the Pavilion would be completely destroyed by fire, with the Floral Hall meeting the same fate in 1982.

The Victorian pleasure pier stills stands with the original mock Tudor-style entrance, and a Deckhouse Café at the pier head offering fantastic views out to sea.